There are lots, but for me the McIntyre Block is really a sore spot. That block is the worst in the city for me.

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"But a city can be smothered by too much reverence for its past. The skyline must keep acquiring new peaks, because the day we consider it complete and untouchable is the day the city begins to die." - Justin Davidson - May 2010 Issue of New York

The gains of the last half decade in terms of reduced crime have quickly been reversed.

I know that every city has its drug-using contingent, but it seems as though ours is exceptionally large and with seemingly zero inclination to resist becoming addicted to new types of drugs. Having a bunch more drug addled zombies wandering around and assaulting people won't do much for downtown and the inner city...

The gains of the last half decade in terms of reduced crime have quickly been reversed.

I know that every city has its drug-using contingent, but it seems as though ours is exceptionally large and with seemingly zero inclination to resist becoming addicted to new types of drugs. Having a bunch more drug addled zombies wandering around and assaulting people won't do much for downtown and the inner city...

I would anecdotally disagree. Unfortunately, I think we're just catching up. There are areas of Toronto and Vancouver that have had scenes for years now that are still unimaginable here.

I stayed in a million dollar condo in Gastown this year that had 30 people outside of it SCREAMING the entire night. During the day, there were literally people rolling around on sidewalks yelling at the sky all over the area.

^ I know Vancouver has its seamy underbelly, but it feels like you can get away from it to some degree. You go a bit west and it fades away and you're surrounded by people without those issues. By contrast, in Winnipeg it feels like it's all over downtown.

^ I know Vancouver has its seamy underbelly, but it feels like you can get away from it to some degree. You go a bit west and it fades away and you're surrounded by people without those issues. By contrast, in Winnipeg it feels like it's all over downtown.

Maybe it's just perspective or opinion, but while you can kinda avoid it more in vancouver, it is sooo much heavier there. The unfortunate part is that while you can avoid it, it is still super present in coll/great neighbourhoods, like gastown.

Mike Enns wasn't prepared for what he'd see when he arrived at the hospital.

His stepson, who CBC has agreed not to identify to protect his privacy, was the victim of a brutal robbery in Winnipeg's Central Park in the early morning hours of August 18. He was walking his friend home after a late-night dinner downtown.

"It's shocking and certainly our son has life-altering injuries that he will have to live with the rest of his life," Enns said. "Every time he looks in the mirror he has to relive this night for the rest of his life."

it's interesting that the tone of all these articles is "give more money to the police" rather than "reverse care cuts and invest more in addictions programs". sounds like some groups are pushing an agenda.

also, have the police caught any of the people responsible for all of these recent attacks?

^ More addictions programs wouldn't hurt, of course. But even that can only do so much in a city with a sizable underclass with seemingly little inclination to avoid whatever the latest drug on the street happens to be, no matter how damaging it might happen to be. The social problems run deeper than a lack of addictions medicine.

it's interesting that the tone of all these articles is "give more money to the police" rather than "reverse care cuts and invest more in addictions programs". sounds like some groups are pushing an agenda.

also, have the police caught any of the people responsible for all of these recent attacks?

I believe the police have been successful in arresting many people committing violent acts. A few carjackers were caught in the last couple months as well as some people involved in a string of robberies. The police can only do so much after a violent attack. If all you have to go on is a description then you will never have enough evidence to catch someone.

Perhaps when someone who is known to use meth is caught committing a crime they should have a mandatory 3 month sentence. This way you can ensure they obtain sobriety. From there the individual returns to society with a sober mind and ability to make their own decisions. A probationary period after release of weekly addictions meeting that take attendance would be required by the court to ensure they are continuing on a sober path. If they miss meetings it needs to be a breach of probation which would require more jail time.

^ More addictions programs wouldn't hurt, of course. But even that can only do so much in a city with a sizable underclass with seemingly little inclination to avoid whatever the latest drug on the street happens to be, no matter how damaging it might happen to be. The social problems run deeper than a lack of addictions medicine.

I'm as much a cheerleader as anyone but I try to be realistic. And to be honest, some of the headlines lately have been shocking. And to be clear, this is not only a Winnipeg problem, it's everywhere. But unlike a lot of other cities, our downtown renewal is still nascent. Getting people to move downtown is still a bit of a hard sell. I worry that these kinds of headlines will stop the turnaround and ensure that neighbourhoods near downtown remain mired in difficult situations.

To be clear, I think some parts of downtown have turned the corner. The Exchange is a prime example of that. But it's hard for the rest of downtown to get to the next level when large parts of the surrounding area are getting out of hand.

I don't know how Moe Sabourin sleeps at night. "Give us more money!!" Your budget has more than doubled in the last 15 years. All other city departments are starved because of how much WPS spends. Start getting results that match your spending and maybe we'll see.

The police don't need more money, they need to spend it better. There saying their diverting a lot of money to new marijuana enforcement areas. Were they not enforcing weed laws before? Are they seriously that delusional to think all of a sudden when weed is legal all these non-smokers are going to start taking bong rips every day?

it's interesting that the tone of all these articles is "give more money to the police" rather than "reverse care cuts and invest more in addictions programs". sounds like some groups are pushing an agenda.

also, have the police caught any of the people responsible for all of these recent attacks?

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Put up an antenna. TV is free as it always was and now comes with full program descriptions for the next 14 days on each channel, plus full HD that's far superior to cable and again, it's free!(after initial setup).